Quant - tips 1

While i am recovering from my back injury and while my prep has taken a back seat, i just wanted to share a few quant tips which might be useful. Feel free to add your own tips to these and i will also add many more as soon as i refresh new fundae and find something useful.

1. Keep a note of basics and imp formulae --eg area of a triangle can be calculated as
.5*base*altitude, or
0.5*a*b*sin(q) {product of adjacent sides and sine of INCLUDED angle}, or
{s(s-a)(s-b)(s-c)}^(1/2) where "s" is semi-perimeter. These variations can help you in DS section. Consider the following:

Calculate the area of paralellogm ABCD with diagonal AC=14 units ;

1.) AB = 10units

2.) BC = 12 units {the measurements might not be of a true paralellogm, i have just taken imaginary measurements}

here the third formula will come handy.

2. Whenever you solve an equation and get 2 values for dependent variable then ask yourself whether it is possible for the dep var to have 2 values. Consider the following ques:

Solve the problem in 2 minutes and chances are you will mark the choice C as answer, but here's the catch. Y can't be negative {see the question}, the answer should be D.

3. Don't panic -- if you are not getting the answer right even after applying the logic ...then check your logic again ... due to stress during the exam it is quite possible that you are using the formula wrongly or using the wrong logic. I faced this problem while solving a progressions problem. I was using the sum of series of AP as {a/2(2a + (n-1)d)}; whereas right formula is {n/2(2a + (n-1)d)};

4. See {actually just glance} the answer choices before you solve the problem, No need to find the answer in decimal if answer choices are in fractions. This technique will help when GMAT cleverly hides the right answer in a different form {and you will not be baffled to see a different set of answers after solving the problem}.

5. Always put down what you have to find and the units in which you have to give the answer and most importantly place a question mark in front of it. After finding the answer check whether you have found the right variable in right units or not. If question is asking about $ then don't work the problem in cents. Use the scratch paper well.